Boston Red Sox to Receive Inaugural Gold Vest Accessible Award, Presented by NEADS World Class Service Dogs
Award recognizes Red Sox’ commitment to offering a welcoming and accessible environment for those with a disability and allowing access for legitimate Service Dog teams.
NEADS World Class Service Dogs announced that the Boston Red Sox will receive the inaugural Gold Vest Award on October 18, 2019 at NEADS’ Get Dressed. Give. Back. fundraising event. The award will be presented by Roseann Sdoia, author of Perfect Strangers. NEADS introduced the Gold Vest Award to recognize an organization that goes above and beyond to offer a welcoming and accessible environment for those with a disability and allows seamless access for legitimate, working Service Dog teams.
Accepting the award on behalf of the Boston Red Sox are Stephanie Maneikis, Senior Director of Fan Services & Entertainment, and Sheri Rosenberg, Manager of Alumni and Player Relations. Says Maneikis, “The Red Sox are committed to making Fenway Park as accessible as possible for fans of all abilities. We realize that many of our fans benefit from the assistance of a Service Dog and were excited to launch the ‘Service Dog of the Game’ program this year. Our first honoree was Rescue, NEADS Service Dog extraordinaire to our dear friend Jessica Kensky, and we could not be more honored to receive the inaugural Gold Vest award.”
Says Cathy Zemaitis, NEADS Director of Development, “The Red Sox have demonstrated their commitment to accessibility and their understanding of Service Dog access requirements in many ways, from the experiences our clients and Puppy Raisers have when they take Service Dogs and Service Dogs in Training to Fenway Park to their support of the Boston Marathon survivor community to the introduction of the Service Dog of the Game program this season. This award is testament to that commitment.”
The Gold Vest Award is part of the recently launched Red Vest Accessible program, presented by NEADS to recognize places that are welcoming and accessible to people with disabilities and are committed to public access rights for legitimate Service Dog teams.
About NEADS Inc.
NEADS Inc. has raised, trained and matched more than 1,800 World Class Service Dogs since 1976. Our Service Dogs are matched with children and adults, including veterans, who are deaf or have a physical disability, as well as children with autism and other developmental disabilities. NEADS Dogs are also partnered with professionals in the classroom, ministry, hospital, and courthouse settings. For more information about NEADS, please visit our website at www.neads.org and www.neads.org/GDGB2019.
About the Red Vest and Gold Vest Awards
NEADS is adamant about the quality of training of its dogs and client/dog teams, and advocates for making it easier for our teams to get out in the world. The Red Vest and Gold Vest designations were created to recognize those businesses who offer a welcoming and accessible environment for those with a disability and allowing access for legitimate Service Dog teams. Learn more here: https://redvest.neads.org.
